We’ve added a new Web Service module to Pipes that allows developers to power their own modules and extend the functionality Pipes offers.

In the Pipes Editor, the new Web Service module is listed under Operators:

• The Web Service module POSTs the items in a pipe in JSON format to an external web service. This allows developers to extend the functionality Pipes offers to do whatever they need. The original items are replaced by the web services JSON or RSS response. Here’s an example.
  

Note: We’ve documented the source code for the web service that we call in the example pipe.

We worked with the Yahoo! Maps team to put together two examples that demonstrate how you can take the output from a Pipe containing GeoData and overlay its content on a Y! Map. Using these examples, you can learn how you can start putting Pipes powered Maps on your website.

The Pipe being called in the below examples is called Where2 with flickr. This Pipe aggregates event listings in the San Francisco Bay Area from upcoming.org. Then, uses the location information for each event to search Y! Local for nearby restaurants and flickr for nearby pictures. The output of this Pipe contains all the data you need to decide where to head out to!

Both examples demonstrate how to take the output from a Pipe and overly its data on a Y! Map:

• The first example uses the JSON output from a Pipe.
• The second example uses the RSS output from a Pipe.

To learn more about how each example was made you can view there respective sources. There’s more information about the Yahoo! Maps AJAX API on the Yahoo! Developer Network website. If you have specific questions about the Y! Maps AJAX API we suggest you visit the yws-maps-ajax mailing list.

We’re eager to answer any questions you might have about these examples so start a thread anytime on the Pipes Message Boards.

Many Pipes developers have asked how they can get Pipes content onto their web site or blog.

We’ve put together a small piece of sample Javascript to show how you can get a Pipe’s output into your page - without using any other server!

Of course, how you present it to the user is up to you! Here’s a simple example that uses the sample code to do just that.

The IBM developerWorks website has posted a feature article on Pipes that includes both an in-depth description of the project and a great tutorial. Here’s how they describe the article:

This tutorial provides a basic understanding of Yahoo Pipes, a service that filters, transforms, and aggregates content feeds. A complete run-through of the toolset available is included, as are three demonstrations that illustrate the capabilities and features of the service. Finally, step-by-step instructions for one of the demonstrations complete the tutorial, along with a recorded movie showing the steps in detail.

The intent of this tutorial is simply to describe the Yahoo Pipes service for managing available content feeds, focusing on the features, tools, and capabilities available.